Automatic pump control



lMay 4 1926.

J. s. DENNY AUTOMATIC PUMP CONTROL Filed April 12, 192:5

.jm/miur' Zijn Patented ltiay 4, 1925.

' UNITED STATES isaiasi .PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S.' DENNY, `0F LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.'

AUTOMATIC PUMP CONTROL.

application mea Apr-i1 12, 1923. serial No. 631,561.`

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. DENNY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Pump Controls, of which the following'is a specication.

My invention relates to oil conveying systems of that character.` including a multiplicity of pumps for forcing oil through .a pipe-line to a` remote storage tank. In vsystems of this character the oilpressure set up in the oil line frequently causesthe oil line to break so that with the oil pressure in the line materially reduced the pumps are free to continue operation and at amu'ch increased speed thereby destroying the pumps and wasting the oil.

Itis apurpose of my invention' to provide an automatic control for 'the pumps which operates in such manner that when a break occurs in the oil line, the pumps immediately cease to operate or are reduced tosuch f' low speed as to prevent self-destruction.

Furthermore, my invention contemplates the provisionv of an automatic control which varies the speed of the pumps in'accordance with the existing oil pressure inthe oil line 4so that as the oil pressure is increased or decreased the speed of the pump will b likewise increased or decreased. n

Although I have herein shown and will describe only one oi] conveying system' and one form of automatic control embodying my'invention it is to be understood that various changes and'modiiications may be madel herein Vwithout departing from the spiritl of the invention and the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view showing 1n verticalV section one form ofautom'atic controlemybodving my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view somewhat diagrammatic showing an oil conveying system having applied thereto the automatic. control shown in Fig. 1.

Referring:4 specifically to the drawing in which similar referenceV characters refer to 'similar parts, my invention in its present embodiment comprises a 'support 15 upon which is sustained a cylinder `16 having a conical lower endv17 provided with a threaded nipplel engaged by acap 19, the nipple and capbeing provided with registering openings through which a piston rod 2O is adapted to slide. The upper end of the cylinder is open but/ normally closed `by a cap 21 formed axially with a threadedaper-y un ture'. An lexteriorally threaded tubular member 22 is threaded through the cap 21 and abuts' againstthe head V23. The internal bore of the member 22 is smooth to allow movement of the rod 25. The rod`20` 0:@

is provided; at its upper end with a piston f- 24, slidable in the cylinder 16 and rigidly connected toa rod 25 which ertendsloosely through a sleeve `26 preferably formed integral with, and depending fromv the head' 7o 23. The lower end of the rod 20 has threaded engagement with the stem 27 of globe valve 28, the casing ofthe valve 23k being `provided vwith 1n ipples29 and`30 f orcon-l nectlon with pipes asy will hereinafter be 75 described. Y

The cylinder 16 is provided adjacent its vlower end with an inlet port 31 adapted for connection with a pipe'32 so as to supply oil 'under pressure' to the cylinder at a point S0v 'beneath the lpiston 24. Upward movement yof the piston 24-is opposed by springs and 34 arranged between the piston 24 and the head 23 1n themanner clearly shown in Fig. 1. As here shown, the springs are ofl8`5 spiral form, with the outer' spring 33 exceeding in length that of the spring 34 but of less tensioni-han the latter so that -the resistance oiferedto the piston 24 during the 'first part of its upward movement is rela-90 tively slight as compared to the resistance offered by the combined ,action of the springs 33 and 34 during` the remain'derfofthe upward' movement of thepiston 24. H rIh'efrod 25 extends through the 'extension 95 22 and projects therefrom where it is threaded soas to be engaged by a nut 35 provided. withv ahandle 36. This nut ,'35 is adapted to engage awheel37 liXedon the upper end of the tubular member 22 so that rotation'lOO of the nut in one direction vor the other will effect a longitudinal Vadjustment of the rod'25.

-"I "teferring now tio Fig. 2, Iv have I'here shown a conventional form of 'oil conveying 105 system includingrv an `oil receiving tank y40 connected tov ak iuid operated pump 41 vby means of a pipe 42; The pump 41 is,iin the present instance. a steam operated pump,

4and steam is supplied to the pump fromv`a`110 suitable source (not shown) through the medium of a pipe 4. I Oil is discharged from the pump 4l and conveyed to a mote storage tank 44 through a pipe 45.

ln applying the automatic control to the oil conveying system, the pump 4l is provided at its discharge end with a pipe 4G having a pressure gauge 4T. Connected to the pipe 4G is a pipe 4S which lserves to conduct oil from the discharge end of the pump to the cylinder lt through the pipe 32 and the port 31. is shown in Fig. 2, pipe 82 is provided with a valve 49 and with a branch pipe 50 provided with a valve 5l. Pipe 50 constitutes a drain for removing oil from the cylinder 1G as will be hereinafter de-V scribed.

ln the applied position of the automatic control, the valve 28 is interposed in the line of the pipe 48 so that the valve serves to control the supply of steam to the pump 4l.

y rlf'he valve 28 although normally closed under the action of the spring 33 may be slightly opened through manipulation of the nut 35 thereby moving the rod 25 upwardly and with it the pist-on 24 and the rod 2() "With the valve slightly opened, steam is admitted to the pump 4l so that the latter startsrto operate, thus drawing oil from the tank l-O and forcing the oil through the line 45 to the tank 44. As soon as the pumpI starts to operate an oil pressure is created at its discharge end, and this pressure is conducted to the lower end of the cylinder 16 through the pipes 48 and 32, it being under stood that valve 49 is now open. The oil under pressure acts to elevate the piston 24 thereby further opening the valve as the pressure at the discharge end of the pump increases As the springs 33 and 34 oppose the upward movement of the piston 24, it will be clear that as the o'il pressure in the. cylinder increases the upward movement of the piston 24 decreases, and that as a consequence the movement of the valve 28 is con trolled accordingly. An adjustment of the tension of the springs 33 and 34 may be had through a manipulation of the wheel 37 to move the head 23 upwardly to decrease the tension of the springs and downwardly to increase the tension. lt will thus be seen that the movement of the piston 24 may be ,pressure'at the discharge end of the pump Should a break occur lessees is materially reduced, and as such a reduction in pressure likewise occurs within the cylinder 16, the springs are new free to move the pistondownwardly so as to completely close or partly close the valve 28. Under this action the supply of steam to the pump 4l is partly or completely cut oil' thereby materiallyr reducing the speed of the pump or bringing' it to a standstill.

Should it be desired to discontinue the operation of the pump for any reason whatsoever, the piston 24 may be relieved of the oil pressure by closing the valve 49 and opening the valve lthereby permitting the oil to discharge from the cylinder through the pipe 50 and thus allowing the piston 24 to be lowered to close the valve 28. Should oil manage to pass to the upper side of the piston 24, it-can be expelled from the piston through a drain opening 52.

From a consideration of Fig. l, it will he seen that the sleeve 26 serves to limit the up'- ward movement ofthe piston 24 so as to prevent undue compression of the springs 33 and 34 and to limit the opening of the valve 28 to prevent distortion or breaking of the valve and valve stem.

lVhat I claimy is:

l. An automatic control for pumps or the like, comprising in combination a valve to be controlled, a: cylinder, a piston chamber, a piston therein operably connected to the valve, 'a fluid inlet to the piston chamber, aA head in the cylinder having' an integral sleeve extending towards the piston t-o limit the movement thereof, a spring between the head and the piston, a cap on the cylinder', a threaded tubular member passing through the cap, a rod connected to the piston and passing' through the head and tubular member, screw threads on the end of said rod. a nut engaging said screw threads and bearving against said tubular member, an inlet pipe connected to the inlet to the piston chamber, having a valve, a drain pipe attached to the inlet pipe between the cylinvinder and ,the inlet pipe valve, and a discharge valve in the discharge pipe.

2. An automatic control for pumps or the like comprising in combination a valve to be controlled, a cylinder, a piston chamber, an inlet to the piston chamber, a piston in the piston chamber, a piston rod connected to the valve, a head in the cylinder having an integral sleeve said sleeve extending towards the piston to limit the movement thereof, a cap on the cylinder' having a threaded aperture, a tubular threaded mem- I ber threaded therethrough havingintegral means to screw the tubular member in and out of the cap, said tubular member bearing `against the head but detached therefrom, a spring between the piston and the head thrust-ing the head against the tubular membei', a rod connected'tothe piston and s1idable through the sleeve, head and tubular member, screw threadevon the end of said rod, land a nut on said screw threads adapted to bear against the tubular threaded membei' an inlet pipe having' a Valve attached to the inlet to the piston Chamber, a discharge pipe connected between said Valve and the cylinpipe connected to the said Valve and the cylinder and a` discharge 10 inlet pipe between the valve in the discharge pipe.

In testimony whereof I naine to this specifica have signed my tion.

JOHN s. DENNY. 

